Strutting to Stray Cats & The English Beat in Costa Mesa, CA

On August 1st, the Pacific Amphitheatre was packed with pearl buttons and pompadours as Stray Cats headlined their first of two nights in Costa Mesa, California. They were supported by veterans The English Beat and newcomers The Midnight Cowgirls.

The Midnight Cowgirls went first in line, who were a lot of fun!

They have a rockabilly-meets-country feel to them that quickly won over the crowd and got ’em dancing. Next up were the ska rockers The English Beat, who promptly launched into their many fan-favorites like “Save It for Later”, “Ranking Full Stop”, and “Mirror in the Bathroom”.

After The English Beat did their thing, there was a bit of  break for everyone to get drink refills and prepare for the big finale. As Stray Cats came out onstage, the whole place started raging! It was seriously cool (not to mention nostalgic) watching everyone in the crowd singing along to songs I’ve been listening to for 40 years! The band played so many amazing song that we all knew and love, like “Rumble in Brighton”, “Stray Cat Strut”, “(She’s) Sexy + 17”, and “Runaway Boys”, as well as some great covers of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” and “Twenty Flight Rock”, and Lee Rocker’s “Miracle in Memphis”.

Photography by Sean McCracken

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